


I’ve built my dreams around you

by justhockey



Category: Men's Hockey RPF
Genre: Boys In Love, Christmas, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, M/M, Mistletoe, Mutual Pining, No Angst, Pining, This is soft!, a little Christmas fic, cookie baking, i love these boys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-23
Updated: 2019-12-23
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:25:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,712
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21925291
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justhockey/pseuds/justhockey
Summary: And now Willy is by himself on Christmas Day, with nothing but an artificial table-top Christmas tree (the bulb has gone so it doesn’t even light up) and The Muppets Christmas Carol to keep him company.
Relationships: Zach Hyman/William Nylander
Comments: 8
Kudos: 147





	I’ve built my dreams around you

**Author's Note:**

> Title from _Fairytale of New York_ by The Pogues.

It’s Christmas and Willy is alone, which...sucks. Enormously. Because Willy grew up in a large, traditional family that went all out for Christmas. Like, his mom always put _two_ Christmas trees up, for god’s sake. And now Willy is by himself on Christmas Day, with nothing but an artificial table-top Christmas tree (the bulb has gone so it doesn’t even light up) and The Muppets Christmas Carol to keep him company. 

It’s beyond pathetic, really. But in Willy’s defence, it’s not entirely his fault. He _was_ supposed to be spending Christmas with Auston, but then Auston got an invite to spend Christmas with Mitch’s family (“I can’t _not_ go Will, come on!”) and ditched him. Johnny had also invited Willy to spend Christmas with him, but it’s his and Aryne’s first Christmas with Jace and Willy didn’t want to crash that. So. He’s alone on Christmas morning and feeling about as miserable as it sounds. 

He’s just about to get up for another cup of coffee when there’s a knock at his door. Willy kind of freezes in place, because who in gods name would be at Willy’s door right now? Literally _everyone_ has something better to do. 

He clearly doesn’t answer fast enough because there’s another insistent knock, which motivates Willy into action. He jumps from the sofa and rushes over to answer the door, starting to worry that there’s some sort of emergency. It’s the only reason he can think of someone showing up at his apartment at 10am on Christmas morning. 

He’s surprised when he opens the door to find one Zachary Hyman standing there, an almost embarrassed smile on his face. Will’s eyebrows shoot up in shock, and he can’t help the grin that lights his face up. 

“Zach? Hi, what are you doing here?” Will asks as he holds back the door for Zach to walk in. 

Zach stomps his feet on the doormat and the snow falls off them into a little heap. It’s hard for Willy not to notice the red tinge to Zach’s nose and cheeks as he smiles at Willy. Toronto winters are fucking _bitter_, man. 

“No one should spend Christmas alone.”

Will almost chokes. 

Zach says it’s so casually, like it’s not a big deal that of all the things he could be doing right now, he’s shown up at Will’s apartment to keep him company. 

“Zach, you’re Jewish,” Will reminds him, just in case he’s forgotten. 

Zach chuckles and his cheeks flush a little more - not from the cold this time - as he unwinds his scarf and hangs it up with his coat on one of the hooks by the door.

“Yeah, but you’re not,” he says, shrugging his shoulders. 

Willy has to take a second in the hallway before he follows Zach into the living room. His heart is beating unnaturally fast and he’s pretty sure his cheeks are on fire. 

And the thing is, Zach is just _like this_. Like, it’s who he is as a person. He’s the kindest person Willy has ever met, and he’s thoughtful and selfless beyond belief. Will knows he could be with his family right now, like he usually is over Christmas, even though they don’t celebrate it. But instead he’s in Willy’s miserable apartment. And he knows that Zach would do this for anyone, any one of his friends or teammates, but right now he’s doing it for _Willy_, and he feels like he can’t breathe. 

“What, are you getting slow in your old age or something?” Zach teases when Willy finally follows him into the living room. 

“Says the guy who’s wearing a fucking knitted sweater, you _grandpa_,” Will chirps as he takes a seat next to Zach. 

He’s already fired up the xbox and has call of duty ready and waiting (fuck the muppets, Will figures).The smile he gives Willy is soft as he hands over a controller. Will takes it, all while forcing down the all-consuming urge to dive across the space between them and kiss the ever loving _fuck_ out of Zach’s stupidly perfect face. 

Ok. 

So that whole feeling? It’s not exactly new. It’s more like two, maybe three years old. And it’s intense, to say the least. But Willy thinks he’s doing a pretty good job holding it together, all things considered. Especially seeing as Zach is spending Christmas with him so he won’t be alone, and he’s semi-calmly playing a video game instead of like, imploding or whatever. 

He’s handling it. 

*

He’s handling until Zach turns to him a couple hours later with an excited grin on his face and says, “Let’s bake cookies!”

Willy snorts. 

“Zach, buddy,” he says, placing a gentle hand on his arm, “_what_ in god’s name makes you think I can bake cookies?”

Zach rolls his eyes and shoves Willy’s hand off his arm. 

“I can _teach_ you, you idiot!” The smirk on Zach’s face is worrisome. 

“No. No way.”

.

.

Which is how William’s entire kitchen ends up covered in flour and chocolate chips. Zach _did_ try to teach him how to bake, but honestly William just annoyed him so much that Zach took over, and Will just sits perched on the kitchen counter watching him. 

And, honestly? The whole domestic-smiley-cookie-baking-at-Christmas version of Zach is slowly killing him, but if he dies tonight he figures at least he’s got to experience this once, which is one more time than he ever expected to get. 

“You know you could help, right?” Zach suggests as he sprinkles chocolate chips into the cookie mix. 

William hums as if he’s thinking about it, then quickly reaches forward to swipe his finger through the cookie mix. He pulls his hand back fast enough to avoid being slapped, then flutters his eyelashes in a way that he _knows_ is too adorable to refuse when Zach glares at him. 

He rolls his eyes, “But you’re better than I am!”

“Has anyone ever told you how annoying you are? You’re like an annoying little creature who won’t keep still,” Zach chirps, but he’s smiling and his eyes are crinkling and Will just wants to kiss him. 

“You love me,” Will sings, scooping up more cookie mix with his finger. 

Zach scoffs. 

He still bakes the cookies though, so Willy is gonna take it as a win. 

*

They order Chinese food for dinner because _”I’m not letting you near an oven ever again, William,”_, and eat it sitting cross-legged on the couch watching Love Actually. 

Will is absolutely _delighted_ to learn that Zach knows every single word of the movie, and promises to tell the whole team so they can chirp him for it. 

When the movie ends - Will isn’t crying, shut _up_ \- they slowly start to tidy away their takeout containers and plates. 

It’s strange for Willy, that a Christmas that was supposed to suck has ended up being possibly one of his favourites. But honestly, how could it have been anything other than amazing when he got to spend it with Zach? Playing video games, baking cookies, eating takeout that’s absolutely _not_ in their diet plan, watching Christmas movies, it’s..

A lot. 

Too much, maybe. But at the same time it’s exactly what Willy wants, what he’s wanted for a long time. He wants to win games with Zach for the rest of his career, but he also wants to go home with him and cook dinner and wash the dishes and just. Exist, alongside him, _with_ him. 

His heart kind of aches because fuck, this isn’t gonna last. Zach is gonna go home soon, and he’ll still be one of his best friends and Willy’s gonna love him no matter what, but he can’t help but want more. Want _this_, this domesticity. 

He doesn’t realise he’s paused in the middle of tidying up until he hears Zach’s voice. 

“Will, come into the kitchen a sec,” Zach calls out. 

He takes a breath first, clears _almost_ all of the thoughts of them together from his head before he heads towards Zach. 

Zach stops him in the doorway to the kitchen, a firm hand on Will’s chest and his body blocking the way. Will’s eyebrows furrow in a question, but Zach just grins at him. And ok Zach’s smile is the sun, or whatever, so Willy can’t help but smile back even though he doesn’t know what’s going on. 

Zach looks upwards, still smiling, “Oh, how did that get there?”

Willy frowns. He has no idea what Zach could possibly be talking about. Until he tilts his head back to follow Zach’s gaze, and his breath catches in his throat. 

Mistletoe is hanging from the doorframe, right above their heads. 

And that doesn’t make sense because William didn’t put it there, and he would have noticed it by now, surely, so..

He looks back to Zach, who’s eyes are already trained on Willy. He’s smiling still, but softer this time, more hesitant. His cheeks are pink, like they were when he arrived that morning, except it’s warm inside. Quite hot, actually, now that Willy thinks about it. And he absolutely _is_ thinking about it, with Zach pressed so close to him. 

And, _oh_. 

Willy feels his mouth drop open a little in shock, and Zach smiles brighter. 

It’s his favourite Christmas present ever when Zach cups William’s cheek with a gentle hand, and presses their lips together in a honey-sweet kiss. 

It feels like everything. Everything Willy has ever wanted and more beyond that. It somehow feels both like he’s floating, and that he’s more grounded than he’s every been in his life. He’s surprisingly not even nervous, Zach just makes him feel steady, centred. Happy. 

When they eventually separate, both of Zach’s hands are tangled in Will’s hair, and Willy has his arms wrapped tightly around Zach’s waist. 

William can’t help but chuckle as he leans his head on Zach’s shoulder. 

“I can’t believe you brought _mistletoe_ to my apartment,” he teases. 

Zach scoffs, so Willy lifts his head to look at him. 

“If I left it up to you, we’d be retired before you made a move,” Zach jokes, but he’s smiling. 

Will could probably think of a witty comeback, but he just kisses him instead. 

Yeah, it’s a pretty great Christmas after all.

**Author's Note:**

> This is soft and fluffy because it’s Christmas and they just beat the Canes and I love them! Merry Christmas or whatever else you may celebrate :)


End file.
